Collapsible trunk.



C. L. SMITH & W.' 0. LEE.

GOLLAPSIBLB TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1910. LLNLWBD MAR. 19. 1912.

1,043,474. Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

CULUMBIA PLANMRAFH C0.,WASHIN1TON, D. cf

0. L. SMITH & W. 0. LEE.

GOLLAPSIBLB TRUNK.

APPLIOATION HLBD .TU LYzs, 1910. RBNEWED MAR. 19, 1912.

Stimme/13 ns an rien CLINTON L. SlVITl-I AND WALTER O, LEE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ooLLArsIBLE TRUNK.

'Fo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLINTON L. SMITH and VALTER C. LEE, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Chio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in trunks and has for one of its objects the provision of a trunk which may be folded or collapsed into a comparatively small compass when not in use.

Another object is the provision of a connection between one of the folding sides of the trunk and the lid thereof constructed to permit the lid to be folded in a plane with the bottom of the trunk.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully hereinafter appear, the present invention consists in certain novel details of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claim; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of the device may be made, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

ln the accompanying drawings, forming part of the specilicationg-Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device in set up position, with a part of the front side wall thereof removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional end view of the trunk in folded position. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the trunk showing the lid thereof and further showing the position of the parts preparatory to folding. F ig. a is a detail perspective of the rod for connecting one side with the cover.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

The trunk includes in its construction a bottom designated by the numeral 5. This member is oblong in contourv and rising from its opposite longitudinal side are battens 6, and also rising from its opposite ends are battens 7.

The rear side wall of the trunk is designated by the numeral 8 and the front side thereof by the numeral 9 and the opposite ends by the numerals 10 and l1. The sides Specification of Letters Patent.

Application iled July 23, 1910, Serial No. 573,491.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912i.

Renewed March 19, 1912. Serial No. 684,809.

pintles of said hinges being surrounded by helical springs, the opposite terminals of which bear on the inner faces of the leaves and normally tend to hold the leaves oper'. l/Vhen the sides and ends are in unfolded r r set-up position, as shown in Fig. 1 tl e upper edges of the said sides and ends wi l be in a common plane, and owing to thea difference in heights of the battens, it will be manifest when the ends are moved inwardly the sides may be folded thereover, as shown in Fig. 2.

By reference now to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the rear side 8 is provided adjacent to its opposite ends with grooves 13 and 14 these grooves extending from the lower to the upper side of the rear wall, the upper ends of said grooves terminating in lateral extensions 15. Formed in the batten to which the rear wall 8 is secured and in alinement with the grooves are short grooves 16, communicating with the grooves 13 and 14: when the rear side is in raised position, the said grooves 16 terminating in lateral extensions 17. Slidingly fitted in the grooves 13 and 111 are rods which include shank portions 13. The lower end of each of the shank portions is provided with a pivoted extension 20, the said extension 20 being provided adjacent to its free'end with an inwardly extending bore in which is slidingly fitted a spring-pressed locking bolt 22, and formed in one face of the extension 2O is a slot through which extends a knob or button 23, the inner end of which is fixed to the bolt 22, and by means of which the bolt is moved against the action of the spring. One end of the bolt 22 is normally projected by the spring and when the pivoted extension 20 is arranged in the short groove 16 of the batten to which the rear side is secured the said bolt 22 will enter the lateral extension 17, whereby movement of the rod will be prevented. It might here be stated that the body portion 13 of each rod corresponds approximately in length to the width of the rear lside 8 and hingedly united to the upper end of each of the body portions 1S are U-shaped extensions 24.

The cover is shown to include a top plate 25, corresponding in area approximately to the area of the bottom 5, and from the opposite sides and ends of which depend a skirt- 26 the lower edges of which bear on the upper edges of the sides and ends when the vlatter are in set-up position, as shownrin Fig. 1. The Ushaped extensions 24 straddle the rear side of the cover, as shown in Fig. 3, and are xedly secured thereto by rivets or screws or in any other suitable manner. By the provision of the U-shaped extensions 24 the cover may, when the trunk is in setup position, as shown in Fig. 1 be swung as an ordinary cover.

Assuming now that the parts are in the kpositions shown in Fig. 1 and it is desired `Vto fold the trunk, the cover is raised bodily shown in Fig. 3, it being understood that trie bolts 22 are rst moved from engagenient with the extension 17. During the upv ard movement of the cover it will be seen 1hat the rods are likewise moved upward .f'until the bolts 22 thereof aline with the extensions 15 at the upper ends of the grooves the extensions and the rods be prevented from downward movement. lVhen the parts are so positioned the ends 10 and 11 are moved inwardly over the bottom 5 after which the front side is moved inwardly over the opposite ends. This done the rear side is moved inwardly over the front side. It will now be observed that the cover will extend beyond one side of the bottom and in order to bring the cover in a plane with the folded sides and ends and bottom of the trunk the said cover is then moved inwardly, the rods 18 turning on the pivotal extensions 23 until the coverV is in a plane with the folded sides, ends and bottom, whereupon the parts will occupy the positions shown in Fig. 2.

In order to prevent accidental inward movement of the sides and ends when the trunk is in set-up position we have provided a plurality of brackets, which are arranged on the inner faces of the sides and ends, as shown in Fig. 1. These brackets include a pair of hingedly united sections 27, one of which is ixedly secured to one of the sides, and the end portion of the opposite Sectio-n being provided with an opening to receive a bolt or screw 28, which serves to secure the said opposite section. The brackets will be arranged in recesses formed on the inner faces of the sides and ends so that the outer edges of the sections will be iiush with the' inner surfaces of the sides and ends.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the grooves 13 and 14: are covered with metallic sheathing 29, the medial portion ol' said sheathing being provided with a narrow slot to permit the passage of the knob or slot 23 during the sliding movement of the bodies 18 of the rods.

From the foregoing, it is evident that We have provided a device which is comparatively simple in structure and inexpensive in manufacture, embodying few parts and these so arranged that the danger of derangement will be reduced to a minimum.

In a folding trunk the combination with a bottom, and side and end walls hingedly united to said bottom, one of said walls being provided with a groove, the opposite ends of which terminate in lateral extensions, and a lid; of a rod including a body portion slidingly fitted inV said groove the said body portion being provided at one end wit-h a pivotal extension secured to said top and further provided at its opposite end with a pivotal extension slidingly fittedjn said groove, and means carried by the lastnamed pivotal extension engaging the extension of the groove to prevent movement of said rod in one direction.

In testimony whereof we affix our signa- Copies oi this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

